Indiana University has announced the creation of its second international gateway office. Located in Beijing, China, the IU China Office will serve as a home base for IU activities in the country.

The office is located on the sixth floor of the China Education and Research Network (CERNET) building in the Tsinghua Science Park, which is the science park of China’s top-ranked Tsinghua University.

Like IU’s other gateway facility near New Dehli, India, the IU China Office will support scholarly research and teaching, conferences and workshops, study abroad programs, distance learning initiatives, executive and corporate programs and alumni events.

IU President Michael A. McRobbie said the facility will enable the university to accelerate academic activities and partnerships throughout China and will support a wide variety of activities.

“Indiana University has a long history of engagement in China, which laid the foundation for our announcement today to expand more of a much-needed presence here. This new gateway office will provide many outstanding benefits to our faculty, students and visiting scholars,” said McRobbie, who is making his fifth visit to China since becoming IU’s president in 2007.

“At the same time that many of our students are attracted to China, IU continues to be a desired destination and partner for talented students and scholars from China. Appropriately, the IU China Office is a portal that will function in both directions, facilitating excellent access to opportunities in the country for IU faculty and students while at the same time allowing our China-based students, alumni and partners to connect directly with the university.”

The 370-square-meter facility will include a 22-seat, state-of-the-art videoconferencing facility that can be used for distance learning and professional meetings. It also will have six offices, including one that will be occupied by an Internet2 staff member, and a larger office that includes workstations for up to six students and interns.

It also has an open area for receptions, creative performances and larger seminars.

It also will be home to Beijing office of the Research Center for Chinese Politics and Business, which since 2007 has provided a more detailed understanding of China's increasing role in the world’s economy. Its director, Scott Kennedy, an associate professor of East Asian language and cultures and political science, also will serve as academic director of the IU China Office.

An opening reception for the IU China Office will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 23. In addition to President McRobbie, David Zaret, vice president for international affairs, and Dan Smith, president and chief executive officer of the IU Foundation, will be among those in attendance.

The IU China Office is a joint initiative of the Office of the Vice President for International Affairs, the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President at IU Bloomington and the Office of the IU Executive Vice President and Chancellor of IUPUI, with additional support from the IU Foundation.